The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale was Prince's first release with Warner Bros. Records since his eighteenth studio album, Chaos and Disorder (1996).{{cite AV media notes|others=Prince (musician) |title=Girl 6 |type=liner notes |publisher=NPG Records|year=1996}} His previous three albums, Emancipation (1996), Crystal Ball (1998), and The Truth (1998), were all released independently by NPG Records.{{cite web|title=Prince Discography|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/prince-mn0000361393/discography|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=May 24, 2016}}

Unlike his previous studio albums, Prince did not embark on a concert series or tour and did very little to promote the album. The lack of a proper tour would continue until the release of his twenty-fifth studio album, One Nite Alone... (2002).{{cite web|title=One Nite Alone... Tour Dates|url=http://www.goldiesparade.co.uk/prince-tour/tour-timeline/one-nite-alone-tour/one-nite-alone-tour-dates/|website=Goldies Parade|access-date=May 24, 2016|date=2002}} Prince's next tour would not be until late 2000, when he began the Hit n Run Tour.{{cite web|url=http://www.dawnation.com/menu2/oldertours.html |title=Ontour |publisher=Dawnation |access-date=May 24, 2016}}

"Extraordinary" was released as the album's first promotional single on August 10, 1999, two weeks before the album's scheduled release.{{cite web|title=Prince – Extraordinary|url=https://www.discogs.com/Prince-Extraordinary/release/4223956|website=Discogs|date=1999 |access-date=May 24, 2016}}{{cite web|title=Prince – Extraordinary|url=https://www.discogs.com/Prince-Extraordinary/release/8190027|website=Discogs|date=1999 |access-date=May 24, 2016}}

Three further promotional singles were released from The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale. The second, "The Rest of My Life", was released in Japan in 1999, and included "Extraordinary" as the CD's second track.{{cite web|title=Prince – The Rest Of My Life|url=https://www.discogs.com/Prince-The-Rest-Of-My-Life/release/3141891|website=Discogs|date=1999 |access-date=May 24, 2016}} "5 Women" was the third promo single, released exclusively in Germany.{{cite web|title=Prince – 5 Women|url=https://www.discogs.com/Prince-5-Women/release/4439326|website=Discogs|date=1999 |access-date=May 24, 2016}} The fourth and final promotional single, "It's About That Walk", was also released in Germany.{{cite web|title=Prince – It's About That Walk|url=https://www.discogs.com/Prince-Its-About-That-Walk/release/4629588|website=Discogs|date=1999 |access-date=May 24, 2016}}

{{Music ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|3|5}}

| rev2 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev2score = B+

| rev3 = The Guardian

| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2016/apr/22/prince-every-album-rated-and-ranked|title=Prince: every album rated – and ranked|website=The Guardian|last=Price|first=Simon|date=22 April 2016|access-date=31 March 2025}}

| rev4 = NME

| rev4score = 4/10

| rev5 = Now

| rev5score = {{Rating|1|5}}{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060616204024/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/18/51/Ent/discnow.html|title=Prince rubbish found in vault!|website=Now|last=Perlich|first=Tim|date=19 August 1999|access-date=31 March 2025}}

| rev6 = PopMatters

| rev6score = 6/10

| rev7 = Rolling Stone

| rev7score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite magazine|title=Prince Album Guide|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/prince/albumguide|access-date=May 24, 2016|magazine=Rolling Stone|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110320034112/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/prince/albumguide|archive-date=March 20, 2011|url-status=dead}}

}}

After its release, The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale received generally mixed reviews from music critics. In a fairly positive review, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic called it "an unassuming, jazzy little record that's damn near irresistible."{{cite web|author1=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=Prince – The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-vault-old-friends-4-sale-mw0000669013|publisher=AllMusic|access-date=May 24, 2016}} Erlewine suggested that the tracks were comparable to the material found on Graffiti Bridge (1990). Entertainment Weekly's Marc Weingarten appreciated the album, stating that it "sounds more committed than a lot of his indie releases"; however, Weingarten noted that Prince fans would enjoy the album more.{{cite magazine|last=Weingarten|first=Marc|title=The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale|url=https://www.ew.com/article/1999/09/10/vault-old-friends-4-sale|access-date=May 24, 2016|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|date=September 10, 1999}}

In a mixed review, Mark Zeltner of PopMatters enjoyed songs "Extraordinary" and "It's About That Walk", but criticized the record's "lack of a cohesive musical theme", also calling the track listing "a series of songs that were forgotten or discarded long ago by their creator."{{cite web|last=Zeltner|first=Mark|title=Prince, The Vault Old Friends 4 Sale|url=https://www.popmatters.com/review/prince-vault/|website=PopMatters|access-date=May 24, 2016}} A reviewer from Mojo was more mixed with the album, calling it "pleasing though predictable".{{cite web|title=Prince – Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale CD|url=http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=1102327&style=music|website=CD Universe|access-date=May 24, 2016}} Keith Phipps, writing for The A.V. Club, was disappointed by the album, blaming Warner Bros. for the "none-too-generous selection of material".{{cite news|last=Phipps|first=Keith|title=Prince: The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale|url=https://www.avclub.com/review/prince-emthe-vault-old-friends-4-saleem-21273|access-date=May 24, 2016|website=The A.V. Club|date=August 24, 1999}} Similarly, a critic from NME found the songs to be "mediocre", also noting that Warner Bros. takes "revenge on their erstwhile slave".{{cite news|title=The Vault... Old Friends 4 Sale|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/1307|access-date=May 24, 2016|work=NME|date=September 12, 2005}}

The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale was moderately unsuccessful after its release, peaking at the lower positions of most record charts. In the United States, the album debuted and peaked at position eighty-five on the Billboard 200. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number forty-seven, becoming his highest charting album since Emancipation (1996). The album was somewhat successful in the Netherlands, where it peaked at number sixteen. Elsewhere, the album was unsuccessful. In France and Germany, it peaked at positions sixty-four and forty-four, respectively.

All songs written and produced by Prince.

{{Track listing

| headline = The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale track listing

| title1 = The Rest of My Life

| length1 = 1:40

| title2 = It's About That Walk

| length2 = 4:26

| title3 = She Spoke 2 Me

| length3 = 8:20

| title4 = 5 Women

| length4 = 5:13

| title5 = When the Lights Go Down

| length5 = 7:11

| title6 = My Little Pill

| length6 = 1:09

| title7 = There Is Lonely

| length7 = 2:29

| title8 = Old Friends 4 Sale

| length8 = 3:27

| title9 = Sarah

| length9 = 2:53

| title10 = Extraordinary

| length10 = 2:28

| total_length = 39:17

}}

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.discogs.com/Prince-The-Vault--Old-Friends-4-Sale/release/457795 The Vault ... Old Friends 4 Sale] at Discogs
• [https://musicbrainz.org/release-group/4516ac04-fcb2-3f01-9e6c-07595dcadfc1 The Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale], at MusicBrainz, MetaBrainz Foundation

{{Prince albums}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vault: Old Friends 4 Sale, The}}

Category:1999 albums

Category:Prince (musician) albums

Category:Albums produced by Prince (musician)

Category:Warner Records albums